222: Small Talk

Cueball is approached by his friend who offers the standard greeting of, "What's Up? How've you been?" In standard "small talk" an appropriate answer would be only one or two words (e.g. "Fine", "Pretty good"). These are generally positive responses, with negative ones only offered in extreme circumstances. In this situation, Cueball forgets that this type of answer is what his friend is expecting.

Instead, he contemplates thoroughly on his condition, wanting to provide accurate, detailed information to his friend. His response sheds light on the many layers of meaning a simple question such as "What's up?" can have. His friend, thrown off by the delayed response, snaps to regain Cueball's attention and reminds him that they are having a conversation, which is best facilitated by the standard short responses.

The title text shows that Cueball was more interested in accuracy than the ease of the conversation, simply out of respect for his friend.

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